38-Year-Old Woman Marries Jesus Christ in Elaborate Ceremony
When high school teacher Jessica Hayes decided to get married, she settled for no less than the son of God himself. The 38-year-old from Fort Wayne, Indiana, tied the knot with Jesus Christ in an elaborate church ceremony last weekend. The groom, of course, was not present. Hayes, a theology teacher at Bishop Dwenger High […]
Alabama Church Opens Gun Range “in the Name of Jesus Christ”
An Alabama church has shocked the nation by converting an unused patch of land on the church grounds into a gun range for parishioners. It appears that the members of Rocky Mount United Methodist Church, in Jemison, unanimously voted to mix religion and guns, “in the name of Jesus Christ.” “We have had this large hole […]
African Pastor Turns Woman’s Hair into Delicious Food for His Congregation
A pastor from South Africa, who previously made headlines for praying for his congregation until they stripped, is now in the news again for turning a young woman’s hair into food and having his followers eat it straight from her head. Pictures posted on The End Times Disciples Ministries’ Facebook page show the pastor, Prophet Penuel […]
Indian Millionaire Gives Up His Fortune to Become a Humble Monk
Indian businessman Bhanwarlal Raghunath Doshi made headlines last weekend for publicly renouncing his wealth to become a monk. The ‘plastics king’ of Delhi gave up his 600-crore ($100 million) business empire during a ceremony on Sunday, becoming the 108th disciple of Jain guru Shri Gunratna Surishwarji Maharaj. Doshi’s decision wasn’t an impulsive one: Jain lectures have […]
Goofy Church Of Bacon Offers Religious Services to Meat Lovers
Founded in 2012 by Las Vegas-based ex-Marine John Whiteside, the basic premise of the United Church of Bacon is rather simple – bacon is our God, because bacon is real. Well, who can argue with logic like that? The church claims to have over 4,000 meat-loving members, some of whom even bear quirky titles. Whiteside goes by […]
Prayer Nuts – Intricately Carved Wooden Marvels of a Time Long Passed
While most rosaries these days consist of glass or wooden prayer beads, there was a time when wealthy Europeans used ‘prayer nuts’ – minutely detailed, small-scaled boxwood carvings. Each nut was a masterpiece in itself, decorated on the interior and exterior with intricate carvings representing Biblical stories. The delicate wooden orbs were designed to be […]
No Girls Allowed – The Greek State That Forbids Both Human and Animal Females
Mount Athos, formally known as Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain, is located on the Greek peninsula of Halkidiki. The monastic traditions of the mountain date back to 800 A.D. and the Byzantine era. Today, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries, and 2,000 monks from Greece and other eastern orthodox countries such […]
Hundreds of Indians Fast to Death Every Year in Ancient Santhara Ritual
Fasting is a common religious practice in several cultures across the world, but few are as hardcore as ‘Santhara’. The exacting ritual is a part of Jainism, one of the oldest religions in the world, and it involves participants making an oath to stop eating until they literally die of starvation. According to the Jains, […]
Meet the Evangelicals Who Believe They Can Raise the Dead
Dead Raising Team (DRT) is a team of evangelical Christians who boast that they can raise people from the dead with their prayers. Tyler Johnson, the group’s charismatic leader, claims to be responsible for bringing 13 corpses back to life! The DRT story was covered in the 2013 documentary film Deadraiser. It depicts various miracle stories where […]
French Author Rewrites the Bible as a Novel
In a bid to deliver the tales of the Bible to all the cultures and religions of the world, French author Philippe Lechermeier has given the ancient text a makeover – he’s rewritten it as a fictional novel! He describes the book as a ‘spirit of cultural transmission without a religious message of faith or […]
This Mississippi Rancher Who Tried to Bring About the Second Coming of Jesus by Shipping Red Cows to Israel
Reverend Clyde Lott is a revivalist preacher and cattle rancher from Mississippi, who attempted to hasten the end of the world in a rather unusual way – by shipping red cows to Israel. He took up the challenge in accordance with an obscure injunction in the Book of Numbers, which states that without the sacrifice of […]
Controversial Preacher Wants to Cure Ebola with 4,000 Bottles of His Patented Holy Anointed Water
Nigerian faith healer TB Joshua, who also happens to be a millionaire, is claiming that his patented holy water can cure people suffering from the deadly Ebola virus. He reportedly sent 4,000 bottles of the special water as a part of an aid package to Sierra Leone, via a private jet that cost $50,000. He […]
Indian Priests Smash Coconuts on Devotees’ Heads in Bizarre Good Luck Ritual
Every year, thousands of devotees travel to a remote village in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu to put themselves through a gruesome ritual that they hope will bring them good health and success. Believe it or not, men, women and even children willingly permit priests to smash hard coconuts on their skulls! Breaking […]
The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei Put Olympic Athletes to Shame
In the foothills of Mt. Hiei, to the northeast of Kyoto City, lies a huge, 1,200-year old temple complex called Enryakuji. The Tendai-shu monks who inhabit this place are better known to the world as ‘marathon monks’ for their amazing physical feats that put Olympic athletes to shame Not all the Enryakuji monks are Tendai-shu; […]
Chinese Girl Gives Up Her Successful Life as Luxury Goods Designer to Become a Buddhist Monk
24-year-old Ting Tien has done something that’s not really expected of girls her age – she’s gone and given up all her material comforts to become a monk. In her former life, Ting lived in luxury; she was a fashion designer with access to the best of clothes and make up. But the shine of […]